Only 125 slots will be available for private cars in the two-storey parking lot under Laldighi, opposite Writers’ Buildings, once it is made fully operational by Puja, public works minister Kshiti Goswami announced on Thursday.

The rest of the 650 slots in the Parkomat will be reserved for state and central government vehicles.

“We have chalked out a policy for full utilisation of the Parkomat, which is likely to be implemented before Puja,” said Goswami.

The state government now parks about 300 cars in the underground lot. “We have decided to allow central government offices, state government undertakings and private cars in the Parkomat if they pay the fee,” said the minister after a meeting with chief secretary Ardhendu Sen, senior cops and transport department officials to finalise the plans.

According to the plan, police will have around 50 slots, central government offices and the railways 100 and the state and central undertakings 50.

Common people will initially have to pay Rs 25, whether they park their car for an hour or the entire day.

Once an electronic security scan system is installed, the rate will go up to Rs 25 an hour.

The central government offices and state government undertakings will have to pay Rs 2,500 a month per slot.

“I believe the work on setting up the electronic devices will be completed within three months. Before the device is installed, the cars will be checked manually,” said Goswami.

The parking plaza will have a food court and two toilets.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had opened the facility, set up at a cost of Rs 44 crore, in April. However, it could not be utilised properly in the absence of all the facilities.

Fatal mishaps: Three persons were killed in accidents in and around the city since Wednesday night. Badal Das, 14, died after a truck hit him on Dum Dum Road on Thursday. Kapil Das, 26, succumbed to his injuries after a bus hit him near the Khanna crossing on Thursday. On Wednesday, a car carrying four engineers from Bangladesh hit a divider near Panchla, Howrah, and overturned, killing the driver. The engineers were injured.